FLORENCE, WISCONSIN -- As the weather changes, so does the type of animals that are out roaming the woods.
The Wisconsin DNR issued a warning this week to be aware of bears waking up from hibernation. They're telling residents not to feed bears and to be aware of things like garbage cans and bird feeders.
The DNR is also using a new type of baiting system to get a more accurate count of the bear population.
Bear baits containing the antibiotic tetracycline are being used which studies have shown could be twice as accurate as previous methods.
"In the past we've used trend indicators, but we haven't really had the opportunity to get a good, solid handle on what our bear harvest is using real data from harvests and from the tetracycline markers," sadi WDNR Biologist, Jeremy Holtz.
Holtz says it will take two years before more accurate results will come in from the study.
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